Raleigh Ritchie

Although the year is winding down and the musical machines are moving slowly or the holidays, there’s still some room for next year’s exciting new releases to come. One artist to watch for in 2016 is Raleigh Ritchie. After releasing multiple impressive EPs, it’s left fans wanting more from the pop/r&b singer-songwriter. Even with a handful of great material, it’s about time the talented English artist get his full length and full potential out to the world. “You’re a Man Now, Boy” is the title track to the upcoming debut album from Raleigh Ritchie and it’s quite the introduction for what’s to come with the LP. It’s a steady yet theatrical display of the artist. It’s smooth, beautiful, and is laced with emotion. It’s just a taste of the musical journey that will likely be taken throughout the debut album. Listen to the title track “You’re a Man Now, Boy” below and look out for the release of the album on February 26, 2016.

I can’t have many more summers like this. Silver Car Crash is the result of that realization and the looming issue I refuse to face that is my future. I know what I am about to say about ideas is ironic considering this cover, title, and paragraph are a direct result of my ideas, but I don’t feel like I do enough with my ideas. Here’s why. In the perfect world, everyone shares their best ideas, and from that grand mixing pot of people’s best ideas, the absolute best idea is selected as the concept for a product. But in the world we live in, the best idea doesn’t always win, so we learn to conform. We learn to adjust our ideas to fit with old ideas. In essence, we are constantly updating the second or third best idea, and no matter how much we update that idea it will never match the potential of the absolute best idea. iPhone 5s are a good reference for this process. It is backwards and terrible, so that’s why a frustrated, young thinker invented art (probably) because there is no “best” art; there are many “best” art(s). I don’t really know the point of this. I just know that I enjoy using art as the medium for sharing my ideas because the real world is horrifying, and there’s no reason why the best idea shouldn’t always win. But the fact that I enjoy something doesn’t mean it’s right, and as I type this I am realizing that I need to start sharing more ideas outside of a safe, cushioned context and face this shit head on in a silver car crash. Okay, that was corny. But hey, I said the title, so it had to feel at least a little validating after reading all the crap I wrote above. Sorry. Don’t conform, and be brave.Continue reading “[Download Mixtape] Tape Tuesday: Silver Car Crash” »

The last year or two have been kind to Raleigh Ritchie (real name: Jacob Anderson). He is one of those super talented people who is being recognized for his two completely different talents at the same damn time. He currently leads this double life as a supporting actor on HBO’s Game of Thrones and as an up-and-coming soul-pop superstar. I am sure there is going to come a time where Ritchie will have to choose which talent he wants to pursue full-time, and “Birthday Girl” makes a strong case for the music career.

The song is simply one of the best of the year. It documents this twisted tale of a spurned girlfriend who murders her man (with a hammer, no less) because he forgot her birthday–so it is not your average pop song. And it’s written so smartly and with so much trust of its audience. It seems like Ritchie is frightfully aware of the suffocating reduction of most modern pop music and is trying to make music as the legends did and fill that missing link in the modern industry. He is trying to put poetry in motion.

Raleigh Ritchie is somebody we’ve been keen on for a while here at Sunset, but lately I’ve been unable to stop listening to his song “Bloodsport.” One of my friends told me the other day that he, too, has been unable to stop listening to “Bloodsport” ever since discovering it on my 2014 Spotify playlist. This inspired me to get to know Raleigh Ritchie a little bit better myself, so I reached out to him to see if he would participate in our Artist Picks feature.

Artist Picks is a series we do where we turn the tables and ask artists for their current music recommendations. It’s a fun way to discover art that’s inspiring creators, rather than just hearing the opinions of influencers like myself. We ask the artist to list 10 songs that they’re currently listening to, tell us why they picked that song, and we put together a playlist with all of their picks plus our favorite song by that artist him or herself.

One might think Raleigh Ritchie’s stunning music is enough to speak for itself, but there’s more to the man that I think you should know. First of all, his stage name is a result of Jacob Anderson’s (Raleigh Ritchie’s birth name) obsession with Bill Murray. He searched through every Bill Murray character he could think of, and eventually settled on names from The Royal Tenenbaums (Raleigh was Bill Murray’s character and Ritchie was Luke Wilson’s). The other thing worth knowing is that he’s also quite well known for his acting career – he acted in Game of Thrones and Adulthood. Not having seen either of those films myself, I trust that he’s a talented actor as well, but selfishly, am very glad he picked up music.

And just like his talents span multiple genres, so too do his musical tastes. I asked him to share 10 songs that he’s currently listening to on repeat, and they range from a quirky song that you might imagine hearing in a Wes Anderson film (mostly “Figure Eight” by Blossom Dearie) to an upbeat trap song (“My Different” by Big Narste). And there’s a whole bunch of variety in between.

Not all of the songs are available on Spotify, so pardon the couple of standalone extras. Hit the jump for the full song list with Raleigh Ritchie’s reasoning for each song and to stream all songs, including Raleigh Ritchie’s own “Bloodsport.”

Does Raleigh Ritchie really need a remix for the songs we’ve all fallen in love with? Probably not, but heck we’ll take ’em! This A-Minor remix is pretty fabulous, to say the least. It brings a dance floor friendly vibe to “Stay Inside” and it works wonderfully. Do we want more music from Raleigh Ritchie? Of course, but we’ll gladly jam to awesome remixes like this.

The debut single from Hoodie Allen’s producer, RJF and David Brook that is infectious, and an impressive debut. The sample is catchy as fuuuuuck, and I already can’t wait to see what this duo has in store next!

It’s summer. Everybody knows that (at least I’d hope so…). So people tend to release summer sounding music. Sol does just this as he is back from his travels overseas and he lets loose the first single from his upcoming EP out September 10th.

Sticking with the whole “singles dropped before an EP theme,” I’m gonna round out this week with Carousel’s latest as their distinctive sound will take over your speakers and put you in the best mood you’ve been in all day.

If you have been paying attention to Raleigh Ritchie (if not, you should start now), you will notice that there are not any new songs here. But there is an official free download. Finally, you can own each of Raleigh’s surefire pop hits. He truly is one of the few young artists that has the talent and team to go far in this crazy industry.

Is three songs enough? It’s almost like dates. When is my relationship with UK singer Raleigh Ritchie officially serious? I think three songs is just about right.

Whether you like it or not, this is exactly how you make it in the industry in 2013. Minimal personal information and maximum quality songs. “In Too Deep” joins previous singles “A Moor” and “Stay Inside” as catchy, emotive pop songs for fans of Sam Smithand MNEK.

So I apologize for missing Songs of the Week last week, I was traveling and it was just kind of impossible for me to manage to put together. Anyway, I arrived in London yesterday and will be here for the next 6 weeks or so, and will be here each Sunday to keep you updated on what you might have missed in the past 7 days. Because I missed last week, I decided I’d do a special edition of Songs of the Week and double up, showcasing what I think are the best songs of the past two weeks. Let’s get started.

There’s something trance-inducing and soothing about this one from UK up and comer Raleigh Ritchie. Naturally, I had to lead off with this one considering I’m living in the same city as this guy, which is kind of new and exciting. The beat and Ritchie’s complementing vocals go together perfectly, and the synthesizers in this one have the ability to put you in a distinct mood–still not sure what it is yet; something transient and floating, I think.

So Jordan just introduced the site to Eliza & The Bear the other week, and although I don’t listen to much of this kind of music anymore, I found myself looking them up and getting into their catalog. Another band out of London (maybe I’m biased in the short term?), these guys remember me of my days as a big fan of The Kooks and The Wombats–a certain brand of British pop-punk. If you want to get into some of their other stuff, check out their Soundcloud, but in the meantime check out their single “Friends.”

So I think at this point it’s safe to say that I really, really like anything that Ryan Hemsworth puts out. Like, pretty much literally everything. The only other thing I know by Migos is the now incredibly overplayed “Versace” which is only really a good song because of Drake’s verse, which is absolute fire. In particular, Hemsworth piano melody on this one kills it, and Hemsworth delivers another fire track. The man can’t be stopped.

This one’s kind of an undeniable summer jam. I don’t care where you are, what you’re doing, or what mood you are in when you listen to this song, I will be legitimately impressed if you are able to refrain from bobbing your head and grooving to this one. Put this on at your next summer party, and I can guarantee you people will get out on the dance floor. Easily a top 5 jam of the entire summer so far.

The only daktal better than the pterodactyl is the Snakadaktal–that is simply science. Alicia describes their sound as a “slightly darker side of indie music,” and I agree. They’re incredibly unique, as is the mood they emanate. Hung on Tight is another one that’s tough not to want to dance to, and definitely a song I will be putting on at parties this summer.

Jordan included this in his Best of June playlist (along with a lot of undiscovered talent–seriously download the mix), but still I would not be able to sleep if it went overlooked. What Raleigh Ritchie is doing in the UK is establishing a sound and brand that simply cannot be tempered with. Somehow in the rising sea of male artists with booming, powerhouse vocals, this guy is different. His first release (“A Moor”) was featured on the last Tape Tuesday, and “Stay Inside” is equally special. We’ll keep you posted on Ritchie’s upcoming The Middle Child EP.

When the underdogs rise again, I’ll have my time / When my body starts turning in, I’ll have my mind

I recently started doing “freelance graphic design” work (in quotes because what). Part of me hates it. Selling stuff that you make is an odd business and perhaps an even odder reason to call a mixtape Voyeurism. As soon as money is involved, people are suddenly interested in your process and want to overlook your creative reaches. I’ll be the first to admit that I make horrible covers all the time, but I know that and put pressure on myself to improve. Added, exterior pressure is completely unnecessary.

I promise this mix isn’t as self-involved as its title. It includes a super fun Snoop Dogg/Oliver Tank mash-up made by Oliver, a solo track by Yeezus producer Arca, an interlude by one of my favorite beatmakers Ta-ku, the best song from Observer Drift‘s free album, a hilariously out of place Death Grips song, and the most hardcore closing tracks of all time. Voyeurism is a freakin’ adventure.